Lot 104: 1989 Excalibur Roadster Series V

Generally acknowledged as the oldest and largest manufacturer of upscale limited production automobiles in the United States, Excalibur Automobile Corporation of suburban Milwaukee is now in its fourth decade of automobile production. It all started in 1964, when Brooks Stevens sketched a concept car on a restaurant place mat. As a consultant to Studebaker and a renowned industrial designer, Brooks was asked to design a 'show car' for the 1964 New York Auto Show. Studebaker wanted a 'show stopper' for their exhibit. His idea was based on the design of the 1927 Mercedes-Benz built with Studebaker Avanti components. In those days, Studebaker imported Mercedes, so Brooks tied the Mercedes design to the Daytona chassis and called it the 'Mercebaker.' The prototype was built in just eight weeks, ready three nights before the New York Show. They used the name Excalibur - a name linked to Brooks Stevens from his racing days. Brooks had earlier designed, built and victoriously raced a team of Excalibur sports cars in the 1950's. The Excalibur display created overwhelming excitement, producing a long list of potential buyers. Two people asked Brooks if he would build similar cars for them. They were given a figure of $6,000. One of the gentlemen happened to be New York City's largest Chevrolet dealer who asked Brooks if he would consider building the Excalibur with a Chevrolet engine. Brooks told him they could if he supplied the engine. To further test interest in the car, the Stevens brothers ran an ad in the Wall Street Journal three days before Christmas. They received over 400 inquiries, sold 25 cars in a week with a $1,000 deposit on each and borrowed another $15,000 from the bank. With a total of $40,000, Excalibur was born. In 1966, the company moved to its present facility which now covers over 100,000 square feet in West Allis, Wisconsin - the west side of Milwaukee, well known for its skilled craftsmen. Since 1964, over 3,500 vehicles have been shipped to dealers and distributors around the world. Excalibur's have been owned by many famous people, including Bill Cosby, Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen, Dick Van Dyke, Tony Curtis, Shirley Jones, Sonny and Cher and Dean Martin. One of the most enthusiastic owners is Phyllis Diller - she has purchased four of them with the King of Spain also one of the more recent customers.This immaculate example was originally imported into Belgium from the United States whereupon it was then sent to Andorra and imported from there into the United Kingdom. All this travel under the auspices of just one dedicated owner. No expense was also spared when it came to the specification of the car; its touring credentials are obvious with twin sidemounted spare wheels, internally adjustable spot lamps and a high level brake light. Aesthetically, the overall image has been well considered with a colour coded soft top, wire wheels and a full wood dashboard with contrasting red leather interior appointment. This sleek-looking roadster has more than one string to its bow however as concealed in the rear section of the bodywork is a two man dickyseat. A great example of this iconic motorcar.